Potential Medicare payment cuts alarm doctors, hospitals

[Forkboy]

WASHINGTON - Fourteen years ago, Congress passed a bill cutting Medicare payments to doctors in a move to reduce the federal deficit. But every year since, lawmakers have caved to pressure from doctors and held off the cuts, demonstrating the lobbying power of a profession that is once again in the crosshairs of congressional budget-cutters.

Slashes to Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals are among the automatic cuts - along with deep slices from the Pentagon budget - that will occur in December if Congress does not accept $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction proposals from a bipartisan committee that will be free to propose tax hikes or cuts in Social Security. If those choices are a rock, the history of the 1997 law shows that reducing Medicare payments to doctors is a hard place.

Lobbyists for doctors and hospitals are sounding alarms, asserting that the cuts, which politicians claim will not affect Medicare beneficiaries, would harm patients by affecting their access to and quality of care.

“This is a very serious problem for us,’’ said Dr. Lynda Young, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. “Obviously we recognize the need for cost cutting, but the depth of the projected cuts is really going to have a serious impact on access. Physicians are going to say, ‘We can’t take any new Medicare patients because we just can’t survive.’ ’’

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2011/08/03/potential_medicare_payment_cuts_alarm_doctors_hospitals/

[boston bean]

1. pretty soon, doctors will have only the rich to treat.

They won't accept Medicare cause they'll lose money.

Middle class won't be able to afford private insurance.

That leave the rich.

At this rate, we'll have way too many doctors soon!

Maybe that is the plan???

[indurancevile]

2. no, the plan is to make people think medicare sucks, and buy in the private market.

it's exactly what they did in the uk with the national health service.

[KT2000]

3. On Medicare?

The Lutheran church has a clinic that is open Tuesday and Thursday evenings. They opened it because most of the doctors here are not accepting Medicare patients. Maybe they will add some days.

[Mimosa]

4. It didn't have to be like this. :( n/t

[newfie11]

5. No Shit!

Here comes the real death panels.

[ingac70]

6. Awww... the little bastards can't double and triple charge.

They'll have to take less than $8 for a roll of toilet paper.

:nopity:

[customerserviceguy]

7. My opthamologist

retired early, at the beginning of this year, because he was tired of this sword of Damocles hanging over his head every year. If Medicare really does get cut, I expect a lot more providers to leave the system.

Here's a possible solution: Government malpractice insurance for Medicare providers. If it's OK for the government to issue mortgage and flood insurance, why wouldn't that work for government-paid medical care, too?

[Recursion]

8. But I thought single payer was all happiness and rainbows? (nt)

[newfie11]

9. to bad we didn't get it n/t

[Recursion]

10. We've had a single payer system for 46 years

Though it's limited to the elderly.

[newfie11]

11. I know it well and hope it continues

And it can be expanded to all ages.

[Recursion]

13. It's a bigger driver of debt going forward than defense spending or the tax cuts already

Expanding it isn't going to make that situation any better.

[xchrom]

12. Recommend

[Shagbark Hickory]

14. Cue the fucking violins. nm

[slipslidingaway]

15. knr nt

[slipslidingaway]

16. You'll be missed Forkboy n/t